APL vessel is first to call at NCT-1. Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC) recently serviced its first vessel at the newly opened New Container Terminal-1 (NCT-1) at the Subic Bay Freeport. American President Lines’ (APL) 1,200-TEU vessel Eagle Excellence arrived at the NCT-1 from Kaoshiung, Taiwan. Photo shows Aurelio Garcia (far right), SBITC general manager; and Armen Manlapat (fourth from left), SBITC terminal manager, presenting commemorative plaques marking the milestone vessel call to Cecille Bitare (third from left), APL regional manager for operations; Miodrag Rozmamic (fifth from left), Eagle Excellence vessel master; and Leah Constantino (second from left), APL Subic branch manager. Ferdinand Hernandez, Subic Bay Metropolitan Development Authority (SBMA) senior deputy administrator for operations, witnessed the ceremony. NCT-1, a new container terminal constructed by SBMA, in cooperation with the Japan Bank of International Cooperation, is envisioned to become a major maritime hub in Southeast Asia. SBITC is a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), a leading developer of international ports and terminals with a global port network spanning 11 countries in four continents. Headquartered in the Philippines, ICTSI is on its 20th year of operation, and continues to pursue container-terminal opportunities around the world.

THE Maritime Industry Authority  (Marina) may defer to February next year implementation of its policy requiring tanker operators to use double-hull vessels to carry black oil, after industry groups informed it that they cannot comply with the deadline.

An official of Philippine Petroleum Sea Transport Association told reporters last week they have sought an audience with Marina and some officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications to seek leeway for those operators who have not yet complied with the ruling.

“On the coastal side [or the tankers that can go with long-haul shipments] they already complied with the requirement, but the [entities behind the] barges are still thinking of whether to comply,” according to the official, who asked not to be named, since the talks are still in the preliminary stages.

According to its proposal, Marina would give a special permit until February 2009 to those operators who have committed to either convert their vessels to double hull or buy a new one.  In return, the operators will develop a sinking fund that will be used in case an accident occurs that involves the single-hulled vessels that move black oil, such as crude.

“But nothing has been approved yet and everything is very fluid at this point,” the BusinessMirror source said.

The double-hull policy is originally set to take effect on April 30, which means that, unless the deferment is approved, the government will apprehend those operators that will move oil using single-hull vessels.

Marina administrator Vicente T. Suazo Jr. said in an interview over the weekend that he will raise the deferment issue to the Marina board when it meets on April 21, but there will be no guarantees of its approval.

“The Pandacan [oil depot] relocation should not be used as an excuse since this issue involves economics. Let oil companies solve their [barge operators] problems economics, if this issue boils down to how to recover their investments,” Suazo said.  

Barge operators have been re-thinking the modernization options after the Supreme Court sided with the Manila City government to transfer the Pandacan depot, the key market for operators, outside of Metro Manila by 2013.

They claimed that five years is no guarantee that they can recover their investments of about P120 million to P150 million per vessel. It will only take two months to convert a barge to double hull, but most of the shipyards in the country and abroad are full.

To date, at least 20 tanker-barges carrying black oil ply the coastwise trade, and majority of the operators have yet to initiate compliance with the requirement.

The three oil majors using the Pandacan depot, on the other hand, could not assure such operators continued business once they completed their relocation, for which, to date, there are no concrete plans.

The Pandacan depot currently supplies around half of the country’s total fuel demand and the entire lubricant requirements of both the transport and industrial sectors.

Govt may defer double-hull policy to Feb. 2009

THE Maritime Industry Authority  (Marina) may defer to February next year implementation of its policy requiring tanker operators to use double-hull vessels to carry black oil, after industry groups informed it that they cannot comply with the deadline.

IN a bid to speed up the clearance of imported goods, the government has relaxed some of its rules in cargo-examination process and streamlined some of the process but introduced a new “selectivity system.”

THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said it will inaugurate its flagship halfway house in Manila North Harbor this week, which will replace its dilapidated facility that was meant to shelter stranded passengers and also the victims of human trafficking.

THE cost of shipping Middle East crude to Asia, down by the most in three months last Friday, may extend its decline as the number of ships for hire exceeds cargoes.